From Cocaine Trafficker to Prison Reformer | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

10/22/2025

The Hidden Third

0:00

1:34:15

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to http://betterhelp.com/mariana for 10% off your first month. Go to http://topodesigns.com and use code TOPOHIDDENTHIRD for 10% off your order. When Michael Santos was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking, he turned a cell into a classroom, earning degrees, writing books, and, inspired by Frederick Douglass, becoming a leading voice for reform. He tells Mariana how the transformation happened, and what freedom looked like after decades behind bars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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From Cocaine Trafficker to Prison Reformer | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

The Hidden Third

More episodes from "The Hidden Third"

Russian Sex Spy | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

From Addict to Ironman | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

Body-Brokering Survivor | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

Bookie from the Ohtani Baseball Scandal | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

From Cocaine Trafficker to Prison Reformer | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

Chasing Pill Mills: An FBI Insider’s Story | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

From Prisoner to Actor | The Hidden Third with Mariana van Zeller

The Hidden Third Trailer